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Text -- 2 Kings 4:1-19 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Elisha Helps a Widow and Her Sons
4:1 Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed to Elisha for help , saying , “Your servant , my husband is dead . You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord . Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants .”
4:2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house ?” She answered , “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil .”
4:3 He said , “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers . Get as many as you can.
4:4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons . Pour the olive oil into all the containers ; set aside each one when you have filled it.”
4:5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons . As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil.
4:6 When the containers were full , she said to one of her sons , “Bring me another container .” But he answered her, “There are no more .” Then the olive oil stopped flowing .
4:7 She went and told the prophet . He said , “Go , sell the olive oil . Repay your creditor , and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
Elisha Gives Life to a Boy
4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem , where a prominent woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal . So whenever he was passing through , he would stop in there for a meal .
4:9 She said to her husband , “Look , I’m sure that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet .
4:10 Let’s make a small private upper room and furnish it with a bed , table , chair , and lamp . When he visits us, he can stay there .”
4:11 One day Elisha came for a visit; he went into the upper room and rested .
4:12 He told his servant Gehazi , “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” So he did so and she came to him.
4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘Look , you have treated us with such great respect . What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army ?’” She replied , “I’m quite secure .”
4:14 So he asked Gehazi, “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied , “She has no son , and her husband is old .”
4:15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.” So he did so and she came and stood in the doorway .
4:16 He said , “About this time next year you will be holding a son .” She said , “No , my master ! O prophet , do not lie to your servant !”
4:17 The woman did conceive , and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son , just as Elisha had told her.
4:18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers .
4:19 He said to his father , “My head ! My head !” His father told a servant , “Carry him to his mother .”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Shunem |
Elisha |
JEHORAM; JORAM |
JEHOAHAZ |
IMAGES |
DANIEL, BOOK OF |
Gehazi |
Shunammite |
Women |
Oil |
Miracles |
Poor |
Widow |
Servant |
Debtor |
DEBT; DEBTOR |
Readings, Select |
Children |
Minister |
WOMAN |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: 2Ki 4:1 Heb “your servant feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lo...
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NET Notes: 2Ki 4:13 Heb “Among my people I am living.” This answer suggests that she has security within the context of her family.
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NET Notes: 2Ki 4:16 Heb “at this appointed time, at the time [when it is] reviving.” For a discussion of the second phrase see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II King...
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